Major Changes Coming For Edmond, Midwest City And Norman Recycling Programs

Major recycling changes are coming for Edmond, Midwest City and Norman in the new year. 

Residents are asked to stop recycling glass and certain types of plastic come January 2020.

It’s a move that shocked Edmond homeowner and avid recycler, Mark Stewart.

“I recycle almost everything. I look for the recycle label on every package. No matter how big or small it is, I look for it,” Stewart said.

From now on, Stewart will have to read those labels even more closely, as there are certain plastics that are still recyclable.

“The main thing is they're no longer going to accept plastics that are marked between number three and number seven and glass,” Casey Moore with the City of Edmond said.

Moore said the energy it takes to recycle glass leaves a carbon footprint of its own.

“It's actually carbon-neutral. They're not actually saving anything environmentally with recycling the glass,” Moore said.

Plastic categories can be located on packaging, but the ban applies to things like plastic grocery bags, straws, or that plastic liner in a cereal box.

“There's been big changes in the recycling industry over the last couple of years. It's becoming more and more difficult for recycling companies to find buyers for these materials,” Moore said.

The changes are implemented not by the cities themselves, but by Republic, the recycling service they use.